UFC champ Junior Dos Santos: No date or opponent for next fight

LAS VEGAS – Word from UFC president Dana White is that Junior Dos Santos (15-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC) will make his second title defense against Cain Velasquez (10-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC), though UFC 152 will not host the fight as he previously reported.

But Dos Santos claims he’s out of the loop about his next fight.

“I don’t know who my next opponent is or where my fight is going to be, but if my next fight is in Brazil and against Cain Velasquez, I’m really happy,” Dos Santos said. “I want to fight in Brazil, and if I fight against Cain again, I think it’s going to be a good fight.”

Following May’s UFC on FX 3 event, White told media members that UFC 152, which takes place Sept. 22 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, would host the fight. But following UFC 147, he said no date had been set.

White said the timetable of the heavyweight title fight is dependent on Dos Santos, who is not currently under medical suspension. Although Velasquez was given a monthlong suspension and ordered to undergo an X-ray on his left hand following a first-round TKO of Antonio Silva at UFC 146, his reps recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that he is cleared to compete.

Dos Santos knocked out Velasquez in the first round of their first meeting at UFC on FOX 1 this past November. He then defended his title in May with a second-round TKO of Frank Mir in the headliner of UFC 146.

Mir stepped into the title bout after expected challenger Alistair Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test. Overeem was flagged for elevated testosterone levels and withdrew from the event. Later, he blamed the failed test on a medical treatment that was spiked with testosterone without his knowledge.

However, it was subsequently revealed that Mir had fought Dos Santos with a therapeutic-use exemption for testosterone-replacement therapy from the Nevada State Athletic Commission, which oversaw UFC 146.

Dos Santos said the worst part of the whole situation was the last-minute switch of opponents. He said it wouldn’t matter what licit or illicit substances his next opponent uses, but he was adamantly opposed to the use of TRT.

“I don’t care what the guys do with their bodies, if [they] like to use those things to help with his performance,” Dos Santos said. “(But) I think it’s for sure not fair because people want to know who’s the best for real.

“It’s not a fake championship. If you use things like that, you’re going to be a fake champion, and if you win, sometimes you’re going to win against somebody who doesn’t use those things. I don’t agree with that, and I think the athletic commission has to be more vigilant about this. Because it’s a respect with the sport. I never use things like that, and I’m the real champion.”

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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